Joe Johnson's OT buzzer beater lifts Atlanta Hawks over Charlotte Bobcats, 93-92
by David A. Arnott on Mar 19, 2010 10:23 PM EDT
31 comments
Joe Johnson hit a clutch jumper at the buzzer to give his Atlanta Hawks a win over the Charlotte Bobcats, 93-92. The Cats played well all night long, getting superlative performances from Gerald Wallace, who was returning from injury, and Raymond Felton, who sent the game into overtime with a basket in traffic with just a few seconds remaining in regulation.
Charlotte couldn't overcome an All Star making his best play of the game on the final play. They defended it perfectly, but even with Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw Felton and Ratliff flailing at him on the left wing, Johnson was able to swish a fallaway jumper.
The loss puts the Cats at 35-33. See you all tomorrow for the Miami Heat game.
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Game thread comments, lowlights, and highlights after the jump.
GAME THREAD COMMENTS
Charlotte Bobcat -- [The name "Charlotte Flight"] seems to be all anyone can come up with though. I feel like there is a reason we didn’t pick that name the first time, because it’s garbage. Sounds like a team you have to unlock on a video game or something.
Ft.Mill Bobcat -- Boris chose to make a pass. It was the polite thing to do.
StudMuffin15 -- I want to drown my sorrow at Waffle House.
BAD
-- Tyrus Thomas and Theo Ratliff have a similar problem. They're on the roster primarily for their defensive contributions (3 blocks for Theo, including a monster block in the final minute of overtime), but they seem to believe they're capable of being high-volume offensive producers, too. Ratliff shot 1-9 for 3 points in 31 minutes. That's 10.5 attempts per 36 minutes. Thomas shot 5-10 for 11 points in 20 minutes, or 18 shots per 36 minutes. For reference, Gerald Wallace takes 10.6 attempts per 36 minutes and Stephen Jackson, our most prolific (profligate?) shooter, takes 16 shots per 36 for the season. They've got to lay off and put the ball in our better scorers' hands. Take a cue from Wallace and Rayond Felton: those two ha've greatly increased their value this season by reducing their total attempts and greatly increasing their quality attempts.
-- Corollary 1: What the hell was Ratliff doing taking the Cats' final shot of regulation? Crikey.
-- Corollary 2: What the hell was Jax doing killing three straight overtime possessions by launching three point attempts?
GOOD
-- Wallace was his usual awesome self, scoring 20 points on 14 attempts and pulling down 16 rebounds. Welcome back, Crash.
-- Felton scored 25 points on 19 attempts, including 3-4 from three. There was an odd dynamic at times in the fourth quarter and overtime. Felton was scoring relatively easily early on because he was taking what he was given and making wide open shots. But then, after he realized that he was leading the scoring, he forced a few shots. Maybe the Chauncey Billups comparison really is apropos.
-- The Cats played solid defense through the first three and a half quarters. Even after a shaky crunch time, they only allowed the Hawks to shoot 42% from the field and 31% from three. Joe Johnson was a main black hole throughout the game, shooting 7-21 from the field, and Jamal Crawford also contributed a bunch of fruitless possessions by going 5-18.
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Not only did we have our hearts ripped out, they put Kiss in our heads for the rest of the flippin night. Thanks a lot Atlanta.
Their arena was loud tonight. Hopefully a learning expience getting us ready for some real noise in the playoffs.
We better come out with some energy tommorrow. No overtime back to back excuses. Jax owes us after missing those free throws and three consecutive contested threes.
i agree 120%
--(insert quote, lyric, or joke here)
by StudMuffin15 on Mar 19, 2010 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Despite Jax's persistent c'mons....
Pressure did not allow itself to be made love to by Stephen Jackson on this night in the ATL. Even the most prolific playas get shot down every once in a while.
Real playoff atmosphere tonight. Many clutch plays made by both teams. Even though it was a loss, this game (along with others) indicates to me that the Bobcats can win a playoff series against any team in the NBA.
Meh! Freaking Atlanta got lucky.
The last shot was contested, so let’s live with the results. Shots like that will happen in the NBA, nothing you can do to prevent it. Think about it this way, there was a time when the Bobcats would get into OT and roll over on their ass.
At least now, a team has to be lucky to beat us.
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
We had a foul to give, that would have prevented Atlanta from getting lucky
Wrap up Johnson on the inbounds and the time on the clock is reduced to 2 seconds.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Mar 20, 2010 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
With such little time, he probably would have tossed it up anyways
And gotten 2 foul shots… maybe even 3.
Otherwise known as SouthTunnel. Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
Johnson dribbled three times before shooting
but I agree if Felton doesn’t foul Johnson as he catches the pass, Johnson could have throw the ball at the hoop to get some foul shots.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Mar 20, 2010 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions
good game Ray!
Without raymond, we would not have had a chance. He made 10 of 18. So whether he realized he was the leading scorer or not he busted his butt and I thought he had a very good game. Jax put up some questionable threes and I thought that hurt us. But Ray will probably never be appreciated by some of the haters. Making light of his performances with sarcasium is pretty cold.
would have been nice
had jack HIT THE POTENTIAL GAME WINNING FREE THROWS THAT HE BRICKED with less than a minute. I was enraged.
"Smokey this isn't 'Nam this is bowling. There are rules!"
Not every game needs to be put in the hands of JAX at the end of the fourth
We should have gone to Ray before JAX took his 3rd missed 3 in a row.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Mar 20, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
We should have gone to Wallace and let Diaw get involved
It’s not so much that Jax was the one taking the shots, but that there was no ball movement to find the best shot.
Ray does seem to have a nack for hitting last minute shots
Last 2 games he also had 2 at half time with the clock expiring
Otherwise known as SouthTunnel. Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
He gambled and missed on a couple of steals too
I respect that fact that Jax owned up to his mistakes though. He said he “owed the team one.” I hope that “one” comes tonight.
DJ should get more PT since Arroyo is around his size.
"I could never be a thug, they don't dress this well." - Malice
by Julius Coxswain on Mar 20, 2010 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Felton and Ratliff were defending Joe’s game winner not diaw and jackson. Raymond played huge for us but Jackson killed us with way to many “what the Hell” plays. I cant wait to see Naz come back If i have to watch Theo brick one more shot off the front of the rim. I would like to see Tyson starting over Theo but when Naz comes back we will be much better on Offense and very Deep. What about DJ disapearing once more. Basketball more than any sport is about Confidience and this kid doesnt have any.
Yup. Felton and Ratliff. In the moment last night, I could have sworn it was Jack and Diaw guarding him.
by David A. Arnott on Mar 20, 2010 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Was this Observer photo the last shot or an earlier one in OT?
I remember three Bobcats getting a hand in on Johnson.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Mar 20, 2010 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
that must be earlier in the game
in the background, the clock above the backboard says 2 seconds on the shot clock
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Mar 20, 2010 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I think DJ didn't play because the Hawk guards are bigger than him
Augustin probably would have been a defensive liability.
"I could never be a thug, they don't dress this well." - Malice
by Julius Coxswain on Mar 20, 2010 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Analysis of the last shot, courtesy of Mike Fratello
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/tnt_overtime/2010/03/19/20100319_fratello_atl_gamewinner.nba/#?ls=iref:nbahpt1
But I’ll sum it up.
A double screen at the ft line switches Felton from Crawford to Johnson. Johnson recognizes he has a half foot height advantage over Felton. He gets open, and takes the jumper over the shorter defender. Game.
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Mar 20, 2010 12:48 PM EDT reply actions
That was a well designed play
No shame in losing that way.
Otherwise known as SouthTunnel. Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
Good Link with the Analysis
The Atlanta play was good, but the Bobcats should have been ready for anything. We have one of the top defenses and there were only 3.8 seconds on the clock.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Mar 20, 2010 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree
Sometimes shots are made that have no business going in.
Otherwise known as SouthTunnel. Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
Foul to give?
Did the B Cats have a foul to give with 3 seconds left? If so, they should have to take a second or two off the clock. That shot hurt.
This game should be encouraging
Earlier this year we weren’t competitive at all on the road. Come playoff time we will HAVE to be solid on the road against very good teams. And games like this (and Orlando) gave me confidence that we can be! So what we lost on a last minute shot… They defended that play as well as anybody could have. More often then not we win. Maybe next time it’ll fall our way… when it really counts, in the playoffs!
Otherwise known as SouthTunnel. Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
you're right
let’s think back. Earlier this year, we played the Hawks in Atlanta. We were coming off a 6 game win streak, all against good playoff teams (except Sacramento but whatever). We went into Atlanta on a day of rest, as was the Hawks. We returned to Charlotte with an ass-whoopin handed to us. Our team is much better now
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Mar 20, 2010 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions
+1
The previous goal was just to make the playoffs. Now we know we have a real chance of knocking off the top four teams at home and on the road during the first round. We won’t be favored, but we will have a real shot.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Mar 20, 2010 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
One thing I think we don't have to worry about
Is the Cats coming out flat in the playoffs. They come out flat against .500- teams, but seem to really show up for big games. With so many guys never having been to the playoffs, I think they’ll be jacked up, playing at their best. It’ll still be tough. There’s a lot of really good teams out there, but I think we have a realistic outside shot.
Otherwise known as SouthTunnel. Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
Last night's game should have shown us all one important thing.
We’ve spent this entire season in various states of growth.
On opening night against the Celtics we were picked by most everyone – experts, sportswriters, blog moderators (ahem! David) and fans both real and fake to finish up right about where we did last year or even a little worse. If I remember correctly, in my very first post here I said I’d chosen my nickname because that day was on the horizon, but wouldn’t happen this season.
After the Jackson trade we began speculating if Felton was for real or just playing over his head. Some of the more negative-minded bloggers here started talking about how bad it would be if we got lucky and squeaked into the playoffs. They wrote about how bad it would be for the team if we got into the post season only to get trounced. A pair of televised games, they said, wouldn’t help the team’s fortunes enough to be worth losing our draft pick.
Once we got into January, the team began showing some real spark and the debates about playoff possibilities got heated. The scales tipped in Felton’s favor and most came to realize the man was truly blooming into a very decent point guard under LB. The big concern became DJ’s horrible sophomore slump.
What was the important thing from last night’s game?
That we’ve watched something very rare. Our home town team – NOT someone else’s we watched from a distance – has grown up before our very eyes this season. Ownership has matured. Players have improved. Instead of looking like total idiots, the Front Office made a couple of deals that were virtual steals by almost anyone’s assessment. And this Bobcats team that none of us realistically had a lot of hope for last September is now capable of playing the elite teams of the league so closely and evenly that anything could happen.
Did you watch the Hawks at the end of the game? They were jumping all over each other like they’d just won a playoff series. They threw their best at us and discovered that not only could we handle it, we damned near topped it. There were no excuses. They didn’t try to blame the close score on injuries or bad calls or fatigue. To a man they knew that the Charlotte Bobcats had arrived.
A fair bit is riding on how well the Bobcats bounce back from last night when we play our 48 in Florida tonight. But this team is no longer doormats on the road, absolutely deadly at home, and has the skills to drive deeply into the post-season.
Inexperience may be their downfall, but unless there are major injuries, the Bobcats will not die quietly. They are just a few weeks away from beginning their run as this year’s NBA Cinderella story.
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